This invention relates to an improved hub cap locking device.
In the automotive industry most automobile tires are equipped with some type of hub caps. Because of today's rising costs of metal and labor, replacement of hub caps is quite expensive. Many automobile owners order, as an accessory item either from the automobile manufacture or from a local automobile supply house, expensive custom-made or sports-car type hub caps to improve the appearance of their automobile. Many foreign and domestic spots car manufacturers equip their automobiles with attractive, but very expensive, hub caps as a standard item with each automobile.
The simple removability of hub caps has become a serious problem, because it stimulates theft, and as stated above, replacement of hub caps is very expensive.
Many prior art devices have unsuccessfully attempted to solve this problem. The reasons for their failure vary. Some of the prior art devices are so complex and their parts so intricate that the costs of manufacturing these devices are prohibitive in today's market. Other prior art devices use a variety of parts, that for one reason or another in today's shortages of materials, are either unavailable or scarce. Still other prior art devices have a configuration or shape that may be difficult and expensive to manufacture from an engineering standpoint, and therefore may be too expensive for the average automobile owner. U.S. Pat. No. 2,005,535, U.S. Pat. No. 2,722,822, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,534,570 are examples of such prior art devices.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a hub cap locking device which is simple in design and construction and is relatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims.